Circuit breaker



Dec. 3, 1957 D. F. MOYER 2,815,420

CIRCUIT BREAKER Original Filed Jan. 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

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CIRCUIT BREAKER Original Filed Jan. 19, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. DA v1.0 F Mom s12 0m 1/. in,

A TTOENE Y United States Patent Ofiice 2,815,420 Patented Dec. 3, 1957 CIRCUIT BREAKER David F. Moyer, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Original application January 19, 1954, Serial No. 494,843. Divided and this application May 26, 1954, Sena] No. 432,487

3 Claims. (Cl. 200-166) This invention relates to a motor starting controller.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved structural arrangement of a motor starting controller that is more compact and which provides for quick and easy disassembly of the several parts of the structure for replacement and repair when necessary.

Another object of this invention is to provide a contact carrier having removable contact bars that are resiliently retained in position within the carrier and are normally locked to the carrier by the resilient means which also provides for uniform pressure loading of the contact bar against cooperating stationary contacts.

It is another object of the invention to provide an improved contact carrier in accordance with the fore going object wherein the contact bars on the carrier are each independently removable for replacement.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a motor starting controller wherein the movable contacts on the contact carrier as well as the stationary contacts and the line terminals are all removable from their supporting structures for easy replacement, the disassembly provided for these elements as well as the disassembly of the armature and magnet coil of the electro-magnet providing for replacement of any part of the contactor in a relatively free and easy manner.

Further objects and advantages of the present inven tion will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of the invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a transverse cross sectional View of a control switch incorporating features of this invention.

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of the contact car rier and contact bar supported thereon.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken along line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view taken along line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a cross sectional view of Figure 2.

taken along line 5-5 Figure 6 is a perspective elevational view of the contact bar.

Figure 7 is a perspective view partially in cross section of a part of the contact carrier.

In this invention the controller is of the type disclosed in my copending application S. N. 404,843, filed Jan. 19, 1954, of which this application is a division and com prises a mounting plate 10 that supports the main contactor 15. At the lower end of the contactor there is provided an electro-rnagnet for operating the contactor.

The contactor may also be provided control which is the control switch adapted for making and breaking circuit to auxiliary devices that need be electrically synchronized with the operation of the main motor starting control.

The mounting plate 10 has a plurality of screw slots 11, 12 and 13 provided for receiving screw heads by with an auxiliary which the plate 10 can be mounted on any suitable support.

The terminal base 16 has a platform portion 22 on which the stationary contacts 23a to 23 inclusive are mounted. Each of the stationary contacts engages one of the line terminals 24a to 24f respectively.

A machine screw 34 extends through the leg 29 of the stationary contact into threaded engagement with the leg 32 of the terminal 24a whereby to retain the two elements together.

The line terminals 24a, 24c and 24e are adapted to be connected with the three wires of a three phase wiring system. The line terminals 24b, 24d and 24f are linearly aligned with the line terminals 24a, 24c and 24e whereby the wires of the three phase wiring system may be connected straight through the terminal base for simplification of wiring.

The terminal base 16 has partition wall sections 40 and 41 that separate the line terminal set 24a-24d from the line terminal sets 24a-24b and 24e-24f thereby compartmenting the line terminal sets and their cooperating stationary contacts one from the other. The end walls 42 and 43 provide closure walls for confining the terminal sets 24a24b and 24e-24f. The partition walls 41 and 41 extend substantially above the level of the contacts 23a to 23 to make it more difiicult to directly engage the live contacts and terminals by an operator when replacing one of the contacts or dis-assembling the contactor.

The stationary contact sets 23a23b, 23c-23d and 23e23f are bridged by the movable contacts 49a, 49b and 49c respectively whereby to conduct current between the respective line terminals on opposite sides of the terminal base 16.

The movable contact bars 49a, 49b and 49c are supported in a contact carrier 50 that has linear movement only to move the movable contacts into and out of engagement with the cooperating stationary contacts.

The contact carrier 50 is made of an electrical insulating material and extends through the partition walls 40 and 41. The upper end of the carrier 50 engages the guide surface 51 on the terminal base 16. The lower end of the carrier 50 engages corresponding guide surfaces 52 at the opposite end of the base 16.

A cover (not shown) is provided with guide surfaces corresponding to guide surfaces 51 and 52 engaged by opposite ends of the carrier 50 to retain the carrier in position in the contactor.

The contact bars 49a, 49b and 490 are each removably supported in the carrier 50 in openings 66a, 66b and 660 respectively, the openings extending through the contact carrier 50 transversely of the axis of the carrier. The upper wall of the opening 66a has a recess 151 extending transversely of the axis of the carrier 50 whereby to provide shoulders 152 and 153 that extend transversely of the axis of the carrier. The bottom wall 154 of the opening 66a has a projection 155 extending upwardly therefrom. Between the walls 150 and 154, the side walls 156 each have a guide ridge 157 extending therefrom.

The contact bar 4a has the contacts 160 at each end thereof. The central portion of the contact bar 49 is formed to provide a recess 161 on the lower side thereof. The upper face 162 of the formed portion engages the shoulders 152 and 153 of the carrier 50 to position the contact bar 49a substantially normal to the axis of the carrier. The contact bar 49a is normally retained against the shoulders 152 and 153 by a compression spring 165 that has one end thereof positioned Within the recess 161 of the contact bar and the other end positioned over the projection 155 provided on the carrier 50.

The contact bar 49a has notches 166 and 167 provided in opposite edges of the heretofore mentioned formed portion that fit over guide ridges 157, as shown in Figure 4. Thus, when the contact bar is in its normal position, as shown in the drawings, it cannot move transversely of the opening 66a, being prevented by the cooperation between the notches 166, 167 and the guide ridges 157.

The spring 165 permits the contact bar 49a to tilt on thespring as a pivot to secure like contact pressure between the contacts 160 of the bar 49a and the stationary contacts 23a and 23b.

To remove the contact bar 49a from the carrier 50, the upper end of the compression spring 165 is tilted transversely of the opening 66a about the projection 155 as a pivot so that the spring can be removed sidewise from the carrier 50. When the spring 165 is removed, the contact bar 4% can then be rotated on its longitudinal axis to disengage the notches 166 and 167 from the guide ridges 157 and thereby permit removal of the contact bar transversely of the carrier 50 through the opening 66a. Reinsertion of the contact bar 49a is occasioned by reversing the aforementioned operations.

The lower end of the carrier 50 is provided with a T-head fitting 71 for connection to the armature of the electro-magnet in a manner hereinafter described.

The electro-magnet for operating the contact carrier comprises a substantially C-shaped core 75. The core '75 is secured to the plate 10 by means of rivets 77. The C-shaped core '75 has the opposing legs 78 and 79 provided with recesses 80 and 81 that receive the nylon rollers 82.

A magnet coil 85 is placed within the core 75. The armature extending through the coil 85 has an extension member 93 projecting from the upper end thereof. The member 93 extends through a slot 94 in the core 75 and through a slot 95 in the nylon guide plate 96 mounted on the core 75.

The free end of the extension 93 on the armature 90 has a T-slot 99 that engages the T-head 71 on the contact carrier 50 whereby the armature 90 is suspended from the carrier 50 when the controller is in its normal vertical position.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted as may come within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A contact carrier for an electric switch comprising, a carrier bar having an opening through the same transversely of the axis of the bar, a contact bar disposed in said opening and projecting from opposite sides of said carrier bar, and a compression spring in said opening between said contact bar and a first wall of said opening retaining said contact bar against a second wall opposite to the first wall, said second wall having a recess therein extending through said bar and between opposite sides thereof transversely of the axis of the carrier bar forming shoulders along each longitudinal side of the recess extending transversely of the carrier bar and longitudinally of the contact bar along each of opposite edges of the contact bar engaged by the contact bar to position the same normal to the axis of the carrier bar, said contact bar having a portion intermediate opposite ends thereof deformed transversely to efiect a flat bottomed recess on one side of the contact bar forming shoulders transverse of the contact bar and a flat faced raised portion on the opposite side of the bar extending transversely of the contact bar, said contact bar recess receiving one end of said spring with the shoulders engaging the spring to retain it against movement longitudinally of the contact bar and to urge said raised portion into engagement with said shoulders, said first wall having a projection encircled by the opposite end of said spring normally to retain said spring within said opening, said spring being removable from the opening upon axial tilting of the spring relative to the contact bar and about the projection as a pivot, said contact bar having a notch in at least one edge of the deformed portion of the contact bar engaging a ridge on a third wall of said opening that extends between the first and second walls, said ridge extending longitudinally of the axis of the said carrier bar to length greater than the movement of the contact bar in said opening upon opening and closing movement of the said contacts to prevent movement of the contact bar transversely of the axis of the carrier bar during operation of the switch.

2. A contact carrier for an electric switch, comprising, a carrier bar having an opening through the same transversely of the axis of the bar, a contact bar disposed in said opening and projecting from opposite sides of said carrier bar, and a compression spring in said opening between said contact bar and a first wall of said opening retaining said contact bar against a second wall opposite to the first wall, said second wall having a recess therein extending through said bar and between opposite sides thereof transversely of the axis of the carrier bar forming shoulders along each longitudinal side of the recess extending transversely of the carrier bar and longitudinally of the contact bar along each of opposite edges of the contact bar engaged by the contact bar to position the same normal to the axis of the carrier bar, said contact bar having a portion intermediate opposite ends thereof deformed transversely to effect a fiat bottomed recess on one side of the contact bar forming shoulders transverse of the contact bar and a fiat faced raised portion on the opposite side of the bar extending transversely of the contact bar, said contact bar recess receiving one end of said spring with the shoulders en gaging the spring to retain it against movement longitudinally of the contact bar and to urge said raised portion into engagement with said shoulders, said first wall having a projection encircled by the opposite end of said spring normally to retain said spring within said opening, said spring being removable from the opening upon axial tilting of the spring relative to the contact bar and about the projection as a pivot, said contact bar having a notch in at least one edge of the deformed portion of the contact bar engaging a ridge on a third wall of said opening that extends between the first and second walls, said ridge extending longitudinally of the axis of the said carrier bar to a length greater than the movement of the contact bar in said opening upon opening and closing movement of the said contacts to prevent movement of the contact bar transversely of the axis of the carrier bar during operation of the switch, said contact bar being rotatable on its longitudinal axis after removal of said spring from said opening to disengage the notch in the contact bar from engagement with said ridge to provide for movement of the contact bar transversely of the axis of the carrier for removal of the contact bar from the carrier.

3. A contact carrier constructed in accordance with claim'2 in which the said contact bar has notches in each of opposite edges of the said deformed portion of the contact bar that engage ridges in each of opposite walls of the said opening that extend between the first and secend walls of the opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,289,086 Van Valkenburg July 7, 1942 2,532,305 Heller Dec. 5, 1950 2,758,169 Weide Aug. 7, 1956 

